Counting and marking machine



Dec. 21 1926.

C. B. MAXSON COUNTING AND MARKING MACHINE Filed y 1922 e Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 21 1926.

C. B. MAXSON COUNTING AND MARKING MACHINE Filed May 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet Jiwe Macy

Dec. 21 1926. 1,611,476

c. B. MAXSON COUNTING AND MARKING MACHINE Filed May 1922 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 21 1926. 1,611,476

0. B. MAXSON COUNTING AND MAFQKING MACHINE Filed y 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 4 'Ill/II.

Char-k5 filmm Dec. 21 1926. 1,611,476

C. B. MAXSON COUNTING AND MARKING MACHINE Filed May 1922 e Sheets-Sheet F1 lllll fiwzrz Z57 CWQJEMWI/ illar-n9 Dec. 21 1926.

C. B. MAXSON COUNTING AND MARKING MACHINE Filed May 1922 a Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Dec. 21, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,611,476- PATENT OFFICE.

omnnns r. uaxsomor wns'rnnnr, nnonn rsnnmi, assronon or ONE-HALF T roman w. MAXBON, or wnsrnnnv, nnonn ISLAND. r

. that are delivered chine into a lay-boy or other magazine, and' COUNEIiING AND MARKING MACHINE.

Application filed May 24, 1922. Serial No. 563374.

The present invention relates to counting and marking machines, and its chief object is to provide an im roved machine for counting the number 0 sheets of paperor the like by a sheet-delivery mafor marking or separating the sheets so dolivered' into bundles or reams, each containingra'predetermined number of thesheets. he invention will be fully'egrplained in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section of a paper-sheet-cuttin machine of well irno wn construction, wit the present invention attached thereto; Fi 2 is a rear-view of'a stack of sheets as delivered into the lay-boy shown in Fi 1, counted and marked in accordance'wit the present invention "Fig. '3 is a side elevation of a portion oft e machine shown-in Fig, 1; Fig. 4 is a; plan of the forward portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1; F1g.' 5 is a plan of one oftheintermittently operating tagfeeding devices and associated parts, shown enlarged with resg'ectto Fig. 1;; Fig. 6'is a sideeevation oft e structure shown in Fig. 5' Fig. .T is affront. elevation of a portion 0 thesanjle; F ig. 8 is a section, taken upon the line of Fig. 5, looking in'thedirec? t i on of the arrows; Fig. Q is affurtherem largetl, side. elevation 'ofafportion of the operating mechanism of. the 'tagsieeding de-' vices, he parts being shown in the relative p tmn assumed. by t. an when e t e the ea 6-: and

eration; Fig; 11' 1s a SEC tIQD upon oils p o t gugeft e said 9 ertifofamodificw wa awn .e-F'ie. att essesas.

1f...et.i?ig. .14, 1 st;

ODS

li v v)", a rt seesaw-s i ti iff esi teessaifisl with. the, partsfinrelative .o

I N "customary to separate theini'intore h wing, eh s ps.

muses aweas F 1.4.18 et w q th e, tegai tqmwms lo i ie lss 9 any 0 Fig ,15gis a. section; i t

, process; I

detail; and Fig. 20 is a section-taken upon the line 20-20 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, v

The machine of the present invention is, 'for illustrative purposes, shownapplied to a paper-sheet-cuttmg-and-feeding machine of well known type, such as is commonly employed in paper mills to sever the rolls.2 of

paper, Fig. 1, that are produced in the paper-makin machines, into individual sheets, and to fee and stack'the severed sheets into lay bo s it. Any desired, convenient number. of re 2 of paper may be operated upon simultaneously in the same machine. jThree such rolls are illustrated in Fig. 1. The webs 3 of a'perfrom the rolls 2 are led together to eecl rolls '6, by which the paper is advanced to cutters. 8, whieh'sever the paper into longitudinal strips of the desired width. The severed strips are then advanced by feed rolls 10 and 12 to rotary cutters '14 and 1e bywhich the strips are severed into sheets of the desired length. Ta ea 18 and 20. then feed the- '.sheets intot e lay-boys 4, which are auto:

matically lowered time. to. time. to, nt in ppro ima y uni ab er l of the sheets that .are stacked therein.

J The sheets so stacked in the ay-boys 4 at -slapairatedjinto handles, each conta ning a, predetermined number of the sheets.

480 for 500 sheets. .Accordin practice, this [separation is; th shee -s a i g. P -c sby girlsor, other. operatives who jstand -ln t P e e t tedfgiuring ti ypm il t e s eet -i e rq$ f fliegg sii acea. an w ntvse ieeg fis eeea t we. f meme s a s; lat 1 sit .i am. th r m u sse a. -,iI P. st k in assess s; tez e sens-rake T si d-n ber f s a e sta y ee t; i w zseel i se s v s ie i eli r etlt m ums.at wese eeehleimntelsesefie utoma i Le s 1. 1; a w

5111 the lay boys gr t :1: 61.

diagrammatically v i It is. em s devices of various kinds have accordingly been proposed at various times in the past, but for one reason or another,"-whether too complicated or cumbersome, or unreliable in practice (however operative in theory), or unsuited to the needs of the articular machine,--they have not prove to besatisfactory, so that the girls are still universally employed, and it is still impossible to tell, in advance, how many sheets a mentally-counted ream really contains.

According to the present invention, the sheets are counted automatically, as they are delivered into the lay-boy 4, by an accurate machine that is not dependent upon 'a failing human counting memory; and thin, aper tags 24, Figs. 1 and 2, are automatica y inserted between adjacent, predetermined sheets at the com letion' of each count so that the reams or findles thus counted and marked contain just the desired. number of sheets, and. neither more nor less.- Not only are accuracy and efliciency thus attained for the first time, but the cost is considerably reduced since the girls are no longer needed, and may beemployed to better advantage elsewhere.

of a bell-cranklever 40, the other and .b the knives an Feed rolls 26 and 27, Fig. 6, automatically advance intermittently, through a guide 28, and between a movable knife 30 and a stationary' knife 32, Fig. 7 a paper strip 34 that is unwound from a reel 36. The-end 38 of the paper strip, is thus intermittently advan at the proper time, and becomes inserted' etween ad acent sheets 104 and 106, Fig. 1, of the stack and, after it is severed d 32, constitutes a tag 24. e feed roll 27 is idly mounted upon an 611% 0 which is weighted at 42 to cause the feed roll 27 to mainta n the aper strip tightly in enement with the eed roll 26. To advance t e st ip 34, therefore, it is necessary to rotate in rmittently the feed roll 26 only. The feed roll 26 is rotated by rotating a shaft 44 upon which it is secured. This shaft 44 is intermittently rotated by a continuously rotating awl 46, Figs. 9,' 10, 9, 10 an 11, when t e latter engages the walls of a recons-48 provided upon a normally stationary collar member 59 that is fixed to the shaft 44. The recess 48 is thus, in effect, provided upon the shaft 44. The Eawl 46 is pivotally mounted at 52 u on a co at 55 to a spro et wheel 56. The sprocket wheel 56, with the collar 54 that is keyed thereto, is 44. The sprocket wheel 56 is driven by a sprocket chain 58, Figs. 8, 4 and 17, from'a rocket wheel 60 that is mounted upon a aft- 62 (see also Fig. 14). An idler sprocket wheel 59 is interposed, as a convenient medium of properly determiningthe direction .of rotation of the rocket wheel 56. The shaft 62 is driven y a sprocket ar 54 that is keyed loosely mounted upon the shaft ter 16, so long as the pawl 46 does not cngage the walls of the recess 48. When the pawl 46 does enga e the walls of the recess 48, however, it will actuate t-hc-recess-carrying co1lar50; and the shaft 44, to which the recess-carrying collar 50 is secured, will obviously rotate also, causing the feed rolls 26 and 27 to feed the end 38 of the strip 34 bctween two adjacent sheets 104 and 106 of the stack, as is illustrated in Fig. 1. The feeding of the strip 34 is therefore controlled by the continuously rotatin pawl 46. Rotation of the shaft 44 in t e wron direction is prevented by one or more paw s 69, Figs. 4 and 20, operating, with raduated effect, uponone or. more ratchet w ieels 71.

The pawl 46 is normally prevented from entering the recess 48 by a gate 70, Figs. 9, 16, 9, 10" and 11, that is provided upon a collar 72 that is loosely mounted upon the reduced end 74 of the shaft 44. In the position normally occupied by the collar 72 upon the shaft 44, the gate 70 overlies or covers the forward wall 49 of the recess 48, as shown in Fig. 9, in the path of the pawl 46. So long as the gate 70 overlies this forward wall 49 of the recess 48, the continuously rotatin" pawl 46 can not engage the wall 49, but rides idly over the gate. Upon the gate becoming displaced from the position of Fig. 9 to that of Fig. 10 the pawl 46, during its next journey around the shaft 44, will be pressed into the recess 48 by a spring 76. The pawl 46, continuing its rotation, will now carry the recess-containing collar 50 with it, andthe latter, being secured to the shaft 44, will cause the feed roll 26 to advance the end 38 of the strip 34, as above described. Upon reaching'the wall 78 Fig. 10, of the gate 70, the pawl 46 will r e out of the recess 48, as shown in Fig. 9, whereupon the shaft 44 will cease rotating, and the stri 34 'will be no longer-advanced. The forwar wall 49 of the recess 48 will thus be left behind the gate 70, in the dotted-line position of Fig.9. again continuously rotate idly, as before.

It should be notedthat when the pawl 46 leaves the forwardwall 49 of the recess 48 'behind the 'gate 70, as 'just described, the

shaft 44 has not quite completed a revolution, for the recess 48 occu 'ied. originally the position shown in'full line in F1 10, whereas it now occu ice the ition s own inEig. 9. The revo ution o the shaft 44 is The pawl 46 will then completed later, as will shortly be described, 516 effect the actuation of the movable knife It will now be necessary to explain how the gate is actuated from the position of Fig. 9 to that of Fig. 10 to uncover the recess 48, and thus permit the pawl 46 to actuate the feed roll 26 by engaging the wall 49 of the recess 48. The gate 70 is provided with a pin 80 that projects into an elongated opening 82, Figs. 11 and 17, provided at one end of a lever 84. The lever 84 is intermediately ivoted at 86, and its other end 88 (see also ig. 14) rides along a cam track 90 of a cam disk 89 that is rigidly secured to a counting disk 92 so as to rotate therewith. The cam track 90 is provided with a recess 94 having a sharp, abrupt shoulder 96, a gradually inclined shoulder 98 and an intermediately disposed walLlOO. The counting disk 92 and the cam disk 89 are rotated. step by step, as will hereinafter he described. in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 17. When the sharp, abrupt shoulder 96 reaches the end 88 of the lever 84, a spring 102 will move the lever 84 to cause the end 88 ot' the lever to engage the wall 100 of the recess 94. The other end of the lever 84 will thus be moved downward, as viewed in Fig. 17, causing the pin 80 to be moved downward also. The collar 72 will therefore be rocked from the position of Fig. 9 to that of Fig. 1.0, causing the gate 70 to uncover the recess 48. The pawl 46 will then be enabled to cause actuation of the feed roll 26, as above described.

The downward movement of the lever 84 is timed to take place at the end of a cycle of operation of the counter; say, after a ream has been delivered andcounted. It is sometimes convenient to notify the operator that another ream has been delivered in the layboy, as he may be waiting to remove it. This notification the machine does automatically, leaving the operator free to attend to other duties in the meantime. When the lever 84 moves down, it carries with it a str ker 101 that strikes a bell 103. Not only does the machine count and mark, therefore, but it also signals at the end of the completionof each count, the strip-inserting means and thesignalling means being both controlled by the lever 84. The signalling may also be used to notify an operator to insert a tag manually, in case the marker is not. working properly.

It has been pointed out above that the pawl 46 will leave the recess 48 at a time when the latter is in the position of Fig. 9 and before the shaft 44 has made: a completeremlution. This nearly complete revolution of the Shaft.

44 is'effected in about half the time required;

to sever the end 38 of the strip, these two to make one delivery into the lay-boy. -During this nearly complete.revolution of the shaft 44, the end 38 ofthe strip 34lias been rapidly fed from therear of thestack. in an upwardly inclined direction, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, over the last sheet 104 of the ream just completed, and under the line of feed of the next following sheet, which constitutcs the first sheet 106 of the next ream. It. is therefore preferred to feed the strip as illustrated and described in a copending application, Serial No. 664,770. filed September 25, 1923. If the end 38 of the strip were fed horizontally forward, being constituted of thin paper, it might strike the rear of the stack of sheets, and not enter between adjacent sheets at all, thus failing to mark the separating line between the reams. \Vhen the end 38 has thus been laid flat by the sheet 106 upon the sheet 104, it is 'still;too early to sever it from the strip 34. as the severing process might pull it out of place. It

is preferable to wait until a number of sheets have been fed forward over the sheet 106; their combined weight then serving to hold the end 38 of the strip 34 in place While it is severed. The number of sheets that shall so be fed forward for this purpose depends upon the length of the wall 100 of the recess 94. As the counting disk 92 continues to rotate, as it counts the additional sheets sofed forward, the end 88 of the lever 84 will ultimately leave the wall 100 and ride up on the inclined shoulder 98 of the recess 94. The other end of the lever 84 will then be returned upward to its normal position, shown in Fig. 17, carrying the pin 80 upward with it. This will have the effect of returning the gate 70 from the position of Figs. 10 and 9 to that of Figs. 9 and 10, uncovering the forward wall 49 of the recess 48, which at this time occupies the dotted-line position of Fig. 9, as explained above. During the next cycle of rotation of the pawl 46 about the shaft 44, therefore, it will engage the forward wall 49 of the recess 48, and thus actuate the recess-carrying disk 50 from the osftion of Figs. 9 and 10 to the position of Hg. 10. Upon the recess 48 being thus returned to the position of Fig. 9, the gatoTU, occupying now the position shown in Flgs. 9 an 9, will again cause the pawl 46 to leave the recess 48, and the pawl 46 will again continue to rotate idly, as before. 'IllFS completes the revolution of the collar 50 and,

therefore. of the shaft 44 to which it is seis thusiadapted to occupy two positions sue,

34 between adjacent sheets of the stack. and in. the otheref which it causes the knife 30 cessively, in one. of which it controls the 'feed roll 26 to insert the end 38 of the strzp positions being controlled by the cam disk One end of the knife. 30 is shown in Fig. 7 as pivoted at 108. The knife is adapted to be moved in a vertical plane about the pivotal oint 108, to cooperate with the stationary nife 32, by a bell-crank lever 110 to one end of which the other end of the knife is pivoted at 112. The lever 110 is intermediately pivoted at 114, its other end 116 engaging a rotary cam 118. \Vhen the recess 48 is moved by the pawl 46 from the position of Figs. 9 and 10 to the position of Fig. 9, the end 116 of the lever 110 is pulled by a spring 120 into 7. a recess 123 provided in the rotary cam 118.

The lever 110 is thereby pivotally actuated about the pivotal point 114 to move the knife 30 upwar as seen in Fig. 7, causing the end 38 to become severed from the strip 34. The roll cam 118 is loosely mounted upon a stationary .shaft 122, and is connected to a gear 124, shown moreparticularly in Fig. 5, so as to rotate therewith. The gear 124 is also loosely mounted about the shaft 122, and meshes with a gear 126 that is secured to the shaft 44 so as to rotate with the feed roll 26. The knife is thus operated in timed relation to the o eration of the feed roll 26, the feed rol first operating through nearly a complete revolution to feed the strip 34, and then, later, through the remainder of its-revolution to cause the end 116 of the lever 110 to enter the -recess, 123, thereby causin the knife to sever the end 38 from the strip 34. The knife is returned to normal position'before the shaft 44 comes to rest. The cam roll 118 is ad'ustable to adjust the time of operation 0 the knife 30. A partition 134 separates the rolls 26 and 118 from the gears 124 and 126 to prevent the paper strip 34 binding between the gears and clogging the machine.

There is a tendency for the strip 34 to sag or buckle in the guide 28. This may cause the strip to crumple until finally, the strip ma get stuck in the gui' e 28, so that the en 38 can not be advanced at all. i To prevent suchefi'ects, the real feeding of the stri should be done at a pointcloser to the stac r of sheets than is shown in Fig. 6 and, if p08 sible, at a point Lust rearward of the knives 30 and 32. In therefore, the feedin action is performed by feed rolls 260 and 0 that are situated at the forward. end of the guide 28. The feed roll 260 is directly driven from the gear 126 by a train of gearing 128. The feed roll 270, like the feed roll 27 of Fig. 6, is an idler roll, being idly mounted pivotally upon the end of an arm 130 that is pivoted at 132. The feed roll 270 acts by gravity to maintain the paper strip 34 tightly against the feed roll 260.

It has now been explained-how the end 38 of the strip is automatically advanced into position between the 'adjacent'sheets 104 and 106 of adjacent reams, and how it is then e modification of Fig. 12,

severed from the strip 34, the tag 24 being thus left in place to mark the boundary between the two reams. It has been explained that the successive operations of (the feeding and severing mechanisms for the strip 34 are controlled by'the end 88 of the. lever 84, through the recess 94 in the cam disk 89 that is secured to rotate with the counting disk 92. It remains, therefore, to describe the operation of the counter.

As has been explained above, the shaft 62 of the counter 15 driven by the sprocket chain'66 from the shaft of the rotary knife 16. The rotation of the shaft 62 is therefore timed to the rotation of the rotary knife 16 and is therefore a measure of the number of sheets that are cutby the knife 16 and stacked in the lay-boy, as has already been mentioned. The teeth of a pinion 150, Figs. 14 and 18, that may be adjustably connected to rotate with the shaft 62, mesh with gear teeth 152 that are )L'OVldGd upon the periphery of the count mg disk-92. The angular movement of the counting disk 92 is thus timed with relation to the operation of the knife 16, and may be measured u n a stationary scale 154, Fig 17, extendm through an arc of approximately ninety egrees. The counting disk 92 is visible through an opening 156 in the upper portion 202 of the countercontaining framework, so that the de rec of angular movement of the countin isk relative to the casing may be read 0 upon the scale by noting the position, relative to the scale, of one of five indicators 158, respectively marked 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, upon the front face of the counting disk 92. In the relative ositions shown in Fig. 17, for example, t e counter indicates that a llttle over 270 sheets have been delivered into each la -boy. The arts are so roportioned t at each revo ution of the s aft of the cutter 16 may efi'ect an angular movement of the counting disk 92 corresponding to any desired integral number 0 sheets from zero to 26, de endin upon the adjustable connection 0 the pinion 150 to the shaft 62. y

To this end, the pinion 150 is not rigidl secured to the continuously rotated sha t 62, but is loosely mounted thereon. A ratchet wheel 160 is fast to the pinion 150 so as to rotate therewith. The operation of the counting disk 92 is thus controlled by the teeth of the ratchet wheel 160. The ratchet wheel 1601s intermittently actuated through a predetermined angular extent by a pawl 162. The pawl 162- is pivotally connccted at 164 to the free end of an arm 166 that is'fast to the shaft 62 so as to rotate therewith. As the shaft 62 rotates continuously, therefore, the pawl 162 is continuously shaft 62 as a center.

its circumferential movement, the pawl 162* is actuated by a spring168 into engagement with one of the ratchet teeth of the ratchet wheel 160. The ratchet wheel 160 is then caused to rotate with thepawl162 until a tail inclined" face 170 of a cam track 172. The cam track 172 is constituted of the circular surfaces of segmental disks 180, 182 and 184, described below. The awl 162 is there- 1 upon disengaged from he teeth of the ratchet wheel and rides idly over thecam tron only, in accordance .45

spondingly moved. In

' overrunning track 172 until, during the next cycle of its rotation, the pawl is permitted by an abrupt shoulder 174 torbe actuated by the spring 168 into enga ement with another tooth of the ratchet wfieel 160. In this manner, the ratchet wheel is intermittently actuated through an arc corresponding to thenumber of ratchet teeth between the abrupt shoulder 174 and theinclined face 170, and the counting disk 92 is correspondingly controlled in accordance with the degree of actuation of the ratchet wheel. The distance between the abrupt shoulder 174 and .the inclined face170 may be so adjusted as to have between-them any desired convenient number of teeth of the ratchet wheel 160. In Fig. 15, this desired number is shown to be three. During each revolution of the pawl 162, therefore, the ratchet wheel 160 will be actuated by the pawl 162 through an arc corresponding to three teeth and will cause the counting disk -92, through the pinion 150, to be moved through an are cor.- responding to three sheets, as indicated upon the scale 154. This will keep the count accurate, as the sheets are fed by threes, as,

illustrated, into the lay-boys from the three rolls 2.

The step-by-step movement of the counting disk 92 is thus controlled by the action of the pawl 162, which operates in one direcof the cutter. 16. Upon each revolution of the pawl 162, the counting ratchet wheel 160 is moved, always in the same direction, through a predetermined angle corr 0nding to the number of teeth of the ratchet wheel 160 that are der 170.. The counting disk 92 is correpractice, the ratchet wheel 160 has atendency the pawl 162 has been disen aged'from its teeth by the inclined shoulder-170. This would be thro h the pinion 150, to the counting disk 92, w 'c would destroy theac'curacy of the count.- friction brake 17 5 is there ore e'm ploy'ed t I prevent overrunning of the ratchet wheel 166. As shown 'in Figs. 13 and 14,

- the preferred brake comlfi'ises .two. shoes mounted to clamp frictions y between them ahuh 177 thatis integral with the counting Fig. 14, of the pawl is engaged by an .92. The frictions with the operation exposed between the abrupt shoulder 174 and the inclined sh0ul-' to overrun aftercommhnicated,

disk 92. The shoes .are' yieldingly held .together against the hub 177 b coil-springs 179 that are mounted over rod: 181- between one of the shoes of thehrake and nuts-1 83. The other shoe rests a ainst a portion 185 of the frame work, which revents rotation of the brake alon witlrt e1counting disk l efl'ectofthe sp is suflicient to prevent overrunmng of the ratchet wheel "160 and, therefore of the counting disk 92. The, various parts counter operate always in the same direction of operation throughout, and they thus operate to just the proper degree. a

The degree of angularmovement of the ratchet. w ieel 160 that is eifected upon each revolution of the pawl 162 may be adjusted during the operation'of the machine by a handle 176, Figs. is rigidly secured at 178 to the. segmental disk 180, the arc of the'segment of which is of the 13, 14 and 17. This handle approximately 120 degrees. Together with t 1 e two other, similar, se mental discs 182 and 184, in side-'by-side re ation, the disc 180 is mounted, upon the shaft 62, as shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 16, the disc's 180 and 182 loosely, and the disc 184 fixedly. The intermediately positioned disc 182 isprovided uponon'e face with a pin 186 that projects into an arcuate opening 188 of the dxsa'180. The disc 182 is similarly rovided upon its opposite face with a 81111] mto a similar arcuate opening disc 184. The discs may there re be angularly moved relatively to each.other about disk-controlling teeth of the ratchet wheel 160 that are exposed ween the abrupt shoulder 174 and" the inclined face 170 may thereforebevaried, at will, from zero to the number found in an arc of approximately 240' de es. corresponds to an intermittent feed of from zero to 26 sheets, oorre-' s onding to each revolution of the pawl 162. 'l hesegmental discs 180,182 and 184 may be mamtain'ed jin adjusted spring-pressed plunger 194, ig. 14, engaging in any pne of a number of openings 196 correspondrn to the adjustable positions 0 the handle 1 6.

will be adjusted to the number corresponding to the variable number of rolls of paper 2, or of the superposed webs 8, that at any one time supl ly material to the ma chine. Three suc rolls are shown in Fig. 1,- and the handle 176 will therefore be set .to the numeral 3 in Fig. 17, so that three in the respec ar pin 190 projecting 1920f the osition by a In practice, the handle 176 sheets may be registered by the counter disc 92 upon each rotationof the shaft of the cutter 16. Half reams mav obviously be marked by settingthe handle 176 to cause the counter to count double, and so for other multiples also. I

The counter may be adjusted during the operation of the machine to count-in any handle 176 from the .in Fig. 17, to the position numbered 5, and

desired multiples. If it is desired to count by fives instead of by threes, for example, all that the operatorhas to do is to move the position numbered 3 to permit the spring-pressed plunger 194 to become seated in the correspondin opening 196. This capability of ready adjustment .during the operation of the machine is of at value to correct errors in the count.

f some .of the sheets delivered to the layboy shouldprove to be defective, or if it should' be desirable to remove a few sheets from the lay-boy for some other reason, all that is necessary is to adjLuitt the handle 176 to some lower number. it be assumed,

'for example, that the handle has been 'admachine is properly operating, when it may be set correctly. he adjustment is made duri the operation of the machine, without stoppm the machine.

It be clear from the above descri tion that any desired numberof'feed rol s 26 and associated mechanisms may all be mounted uplon and controlled by the same shaft 44. hree la -boys 4'are shown in Fig. 4, each provide with a separate markmg attachment adapted to so plytags 24. As the feed rolls 26 of the t ee markers are mounted u on the same shaft 44, a sinle counter 8 cos for all three 1a -boys. s many lay-boys as are attached to t e machine may each be provided with'a marker.

The markers, asis explained above, are -controlled the counter. If it is desired to count an mark reams of 500 sheets, a counting disks 92 having a suitable number of gear teeth 152 will be employed. If it is desired to coimt reams of 480 sheets, a counting disk 92 having a diiferent number of gear teeth 152 will be em loyed; and'similarly with any other num of sheets counte In each case, the markers will be operated at at the end of the desired count, as determined by the number of teeth upon the counting disk 92 that is employed. Obviers. The counting dis 92 may be removed by unloosening bolts 200, Fig. 13, and removing the' portion 202 of the framework within which the counting disk 92 and connected arts, including the cam disk 89 and the bra e 17 5, are mounted. A. similar portion of the framework, in which another counting disk 92 is journaled, may then be placed in position in substitution for the removed framework.

Ordinarily, but two counting disks are emplo ed,one to count reams of 500 sheets, an the other to count reams of 480 sheets. It is possible to design the machine so as to count either one or the other ream without removin and replacing counting disks 92. The dup ex type of paper-cutting-and-feedin machine shown diagrammatically in Fig.

1 1s particularl adapted to such'design, since it is possi 1e to employ it in connection with two counters, one controlled by the cutter 16, as above described, and the other controlled by the cutter 14. The two counters may be mounted at opposite sides of the machine, as is illustrated in Fig. 4. The operation of the counter that is controlled by the cutter 16'has already been describe The other counter ma be driven from the cutter 14 bya sproc et chain 208. This sprocket chain drives a shaft 210 thatextends across the machine and that is provided atthe other side of the machine with a sprocket wheel 212. The sprocket wheel 212 at one side of the machine, is thus driven directly from the knife 14 by the sprocket chain 208 that is provided at the other side of the machine. A drivin connection of this 'character is preferred (not shown) that is usually emplo ed in such machines would interfere wit ecause gearing riving the V sprocket wheel 212 b a sprocket chain rovided at the same si e of the machine. he sprockehwheel 212 controls the one counter in much. the same .way that the sprocket wheel '68 controls the other counter, the

sprocket chains 214 and 216 corresponding to the s rocketchains 66 and 58, respectively,

and t e lever 218 corresponding to the lever 84. As has been explained above, the lever 84 controls, through the pawl46, the opera-,

tion of the shaft 44, this shaft, in turn, controlling the feed wheel 26 to which it is keyed. The lever 218, on the other hand, controls, throu h a similar pawl, the operation of the sha 122.

It has been explained above that the feed wheel" 26 and the gear 126 are keyed to the shaft 44, and that the cam roll 118 and the gear 124 are loose on the shaft 122. To operatethe markers-from -througl-1 the'levef 218-,- the I 220, YFi is reinOvecLfso asto render tlie'feed wlmee 26 and the gear 126 1:118 shaft 122,

loose upon the shaft 44, and the roll 118, and the gear 124 are keyed at 222 to the shaft 122, instead. R-

1 tation of the shaft 122 will thus carry the cam wheel 118 and the gear 124 with it; and the. rotation of the gear 124 will be communicated, through the gear 126, to the feed wheel 26, the feed wheel 26 and the "gear 126 now rotating idly on their shaft 44. The 'feed wheel 26 is thus operated to feed the strip 34 in the same manner as before described, except that it is now operated from the shaft 122 instead of from the shaft 44; and the knife-controllin -cam wheel 118still operates to control the nife, bcin now driven directly from the shaft 122 instead of indirectly, from the shaft 44.

The feed roll 26 and the cam roll 118'are thus so connected, through the gears 126 and 124 respectively, that the rotation of either roll will effect the rotation of the other. The rolls are loosely mounted upon their respective shafts, but one or the other, depending upon which counter is to be employed, is keyed to its shaft to effect. the feeding of the strip 34.

The lever 218 is shown in detail in Fig. 19. The pivotal point 224 corresponds to the pivotal point 86, Fig. 17 of the lever 84. The end 226 of the lever 218 corresponds to the end 88 of the ,lever 84. The other end is provided with an elongated opening 228 thatcorresponds to the opening 82, and is ada ted to receive a pin that corresponds to tie pin 80 for, controlling the shift 122. The opening 228 is somewhat diiferently inclined from. the opening 82 because of the different relative positions of the shafts 44 and 122. To cooperate with the lever 218, the shaft 122 extends beyond the machine at the right, as viewed in Fig. 4, just as the shaft 44 extends out at the left, Fig. 11, to cooperate with the lever 84.

B this arrangement, therefore, the same marhers may be controlled by one or the other of two counters, at the will of the operator, so that reams of different numbers of sheets may be counted without disassembling the counters.

The counters are shown as controlled by the cutters 14 and 16, but this, is not essential. The cutters are chosen for convenience, because each revolution .of the cutter corresponds. to the feeding and stacking of one sheet or any desired number of sheets corresponding to the number of rolls 2) in t e lay-boy 4. The counters could as well be controlled in accordance ,with the operation of some othermeans for operating up on the sheets, which operation is a measure of the number of sheets delivered in thelay-boy. It is preferable to employ, some accordance olperating mechanism of tlie macliine for t A is purpose, because this renders it unnecessary to complieiitet'he machine by the addition of extra mechanisms. All that is necessary is to connect the old'operating mechanism,which is rendered especially easy-if it comprises a rotating roll, to the counter and, through the counter, to the tag-inserting means, or marker. Nor is the invention restricted to the use of two counters only. A plurality of counters may be employed, selectively adapted, in conjunction with the markers, to mark or indicate sheets of the stack that are selectively predetermined by the respective counters.

It will be understood that the invention is not'limited to the exact embodiment that is herein illustrated and described, and is subject to modification and change by ersons skilled in the art. All such modi cations and chan es are considered to be with in the spirit o the invention, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. a

What is claimed as new is 1. A machine of the class described hav' ing, in combination, feeding sheets into the lay-b0 means-for inserting the end of a strip etween predetermined sheets of the stack from a position just to the rear and just below the upper sheets of the stack, and a. cutter located etween the, la -boy and the inserting means for severin 't e end of the strip.

2. A mac ine of the class described hav: ing, in combination, means for operatin upon sheets of material that are ada to to be stacked, a layboy, means for stac ing the sheets in the lay-boy, a feed roll for inserting the end of a strip between adjacent sheetsof the stack,.meanscontrolled in accordance with the operation of'the operata lay-boy, means for ing means to operate the feed roll through aportion of a revolution to insert the end of the stri between predetermined sheets of the stac a cutter located between the lay-boy and the feed roll for severing the end of the strip, and means controlled in with the operation of'the operating meansto operate the feed roll throu 11 another portion of a revolution to efi'ect t e operation of the cutter.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material,.and a feed roll situated just to the rear of the stack and just below the level of the stack and constructed and arranged to insert a tag between predetermined sheets of the stack. 1

4. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a counter operable 1n one direction of operation throughout to count the number of sheets stacked, means for inserting the end of a strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, means for severing the end of the strip, and a lever controlled by the counter in one osition of its operation to cause the inserting means to insert the end of the strip between adjacent sheets redetermined by the counter and controlled y the counter in another position of its operation to effect the operation -of the severing means.

5. A machine of the class described-having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a counter having a counting disk rotatable in one direction only to count the number of sheets stacked, means for insetting the end of a strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, means for severing'the end of the strip, a lever adapted to occupy two positions successively in one of which it controls the operation of the inserting means and in the other of which it controls the operation of the severing means, and, a cam rotatable with the counting disk having two portions adapted respectively to control the lever in the two positions.

6. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, means for inserting a tag between adjacent sheets of the stack, and a plurality of means for selectively controling the inserting means to cause the inserting means to insert the tag between sheets sheet material, a pluralit of the stack selectively predetermined by the respective controlling'means 7. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a feed roll for inserting a tag between adjacent sheets of the stack, and two means selectively adapted to actuate the feed roll to cause the feed roll to insert the tag between sheets of the stack selectively predetermined by the respective feed-roll-actuating means.

8. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a feed roll for inserting a tag between adjacent sheets of the stack, a roll connected to the feed roll so that the rotation of either roll effects the rotation of the other roll, and means for actuating either roll.

9. A machine as described in claim 8 in which the rolls are separated from their connecting means b a partition- 10. A machine 0 the class described having, in combination, means for stacking of counters for countin the number of s eets stacked, and means or inserting a tag between adjacent sheets ofthe stack, the counters being adapted to control the inserting means selectively to cause'the inserting means to insert the tag. between sheets of, the stack selectively predetermined by the res ctive counters.

11: A machine'ofthe c ass described havrug, m combination, twoshafts, a. roll loosely the rolls to cause the rotation of either m to effect the rotation of the other roll means for securingeither roll to the shatt u on which it is mounted and means for se ectively rotating the shafts.

12. A machine of the class described having, in. combination, means for stacking sheet material, two counters for counting the number of sheets stacked, two rotatable shafts, a roll loosely mounted on each shaft, one of the rolls being adapted to insert a tag between adjacent sheets of the stack, means connecting the rolls to cause the rotation of either roll to effect the rotation of the other roll, and means for securing either roll to the shaft upon which it is mounted, the rotation of the shafts being selectively controlled by the counters to cause the taginserting roll .to insert the ta between sheets of the stack selectively pre etermined by the counters.

13. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a feed roll for insertin the end of a strip between predetermined s eets of the stack, means for severing the end of the strip, a roll having means for controllin "the severing means connected to the feed r0 1 so that the rotation of either roll efi'ects the rotation of the other roll, and means for.

.the first named portion of arevolution, then maintaining the rotatable means temporarily stationary, and finally'rotating the rotatable means through. the other portion of the revolution.

15. A counter having, in combination, a counting tooth-controlled disk, a pawl mov able in one direction only along a circumference to engage the controlling teeth of the counting disk to actuate the counting disk, and meanswhereby the pawl is adapts to actuate the countin disk to a degree corresponding to a .pre etermined number of the controlling teeth of the counting disk upon eachmovement of the pawl throughout the circumference.

16. A counter having, in combination, a counting disk havin a gear, a gear meshing with the counting- 1sk gear, a ratchet movable with the meshing gear a pawl for engaging the teeth of the ratchet, whereby actuation of the pawl effects the actuation of the counting disk, a track located along a portion of the periphery of the ratchet, and

means for actuating the pawl along the periphery' of the ratchet, the pawl being adapted to run idly along the track during its actuation over the said portion of the periphery of the ratchet, whereby the pawl is adapted to actuate the ratchet through an angle corresponding to the remaining portion of the periphery of the ratchet upon each actuation of the pawl.

17. A counter having, in combination, a rotatable ratchet wheel, a counting disk controlled by the ratchet wheel in accordance with the degree of rotation of the ratchet wheel, a rotating pawl adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel to rotate the ratchet wheel, and a plurality of segmental members having cam tracks over which the pawl is adapted to ride idly, the segmental members being adjustable to expose a variable number of the teeth of the ratchet wheel, whereby the pawl is adapted to actuate the ratchet wheel through an arc corresponding to the number of teeth exposed upon each rotation of the pawl. I

18. A counter having, in combination, a shaft adapted to be continuousl rotated, an arm extending from and rotating with the shaft, a pawl mounted at the end of the arm, a ratchet wheel loosely mounted on the shaft the teeth of which are adapted to be engaged by the pawl, whereby the ratchet wheel is adapted to be rotated about the shaft by the awl, a plurality of segmental members havmg cam tracks over which the pawl is adapted to ride idly, the segmental members being adjustable to expose a variable number of teeth of the ratchet wheel, whereby the pawl is adapted to actuate the ratchet wheel through an arc corresponding to the number of teeth exposed upon each rotation of the pawl, a pinion secured to the ratchet wheel so as to rotate therewith, a counting disk having gear teeth meshing with the teeth of the pinion, and an indicator for the -counting disk.

19. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a lay-boy, means for stacking sheets in the lay-boy, a feed roll for inserting the end of a strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, means for severing the end of the strip, means rotatable through a portion of a revolution to operate the feed roll to insert the end of the strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, and rotatable through another portion of a revolution to sever the end of the strip, an means for first rotating the rotatable means through the first-named portion of a revolution, then maintaining the rotatable means temporarily stationary, and finally rotating the rotatable means through the other portion of the revolution.

20. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material a counter for counting the number of sheets stacked, means for inserting the end of a strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, means for severing the end of the strip, and a lever controlled by the counter in one position of its operation to cause the inserting means to insert the end of the strip between adjacent sheets predetermined by the counter and controlled by the counter in another position of its operation to effect the operation of the severing means.

21. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a counter for counting the number of sheets stacked, means for inserting the end of a strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, means for severing the end of the strip, and a lever adapted to occupy two positions successively in one of which it controls the operation of the inserting means and in the other of which it controls the op eration of the severing means, the counter having a cam having two portions adapted respectively to control the lever in the two positions;

22. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a normally stationary member provided with a recess, a pawl movable in a predetermined path adapted to engage the walls of the recess to effect the actuation of the member, a gate in the path of the pawl normally covering the recess, and means for actuatin the gate to uncover the recess, the pawl t hereupon engaging the walls of the recess to actuate the member un til the recess is again covered by the gate, the actuating means being adapted to actuate the ate to again uncover the recess, and the pawd bein adapted to thereupon again enga e the we ls of the recess to actuate the member until the recess is once more covered by the gate.

23. A machine of the class ing, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a shaft having a recess, a feed roll mounted pipon the shaft for inserting a tag between a jacent sheets of the stack, a'pawl 'movable around the shaft adapted to en age the walls of the -recess to rotate the s aft and the feed roll mounted on the shaft, a gate in the path of the pawl normally covermg the recess, and means for actuating the gate to uncover the recess.

24. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, a shaft having a recess, a feed roll mounted upon the shaft for inserting the end of a strip' between adjacent sheets of the stack, means operable at a predetermined point in the rotation of the shaft for severing the strip, a pawl movable around the shaft adapted to engage the walls of the recess to rotate the shaft and the feed roll mounted on the shaft, a gate in the path of the pawl normally covering the recess, and means for actuating the gate to uncover the described havrecess, the pawl thereupon engaging the walls of the recess to rotate the shaft until the recess is again covered by the gate whereby the feed roll inserts the end of the strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, the actuating means being adapted to return the gate to its normal position, thereby again uncovering the recess, and the pawl being' adapted to thereupon again engage the walls of the recess to return the shaft to its normal position, effecting the actuation of the severing means.

25. A method of feeding and stacking sheet material that comprises feeding and stacking the sheets; feeding the end of a strip at an upward incline over the rear of the stack to cause the next-following sheet stacked to engage the said end of the strip and lay it flat against the next-preceding sheet, continuing to feed and stack the sheets, and severing the said end of the strip upon the addition of a predetermined number of sheets to the stack.

26. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking 'sheet material, means for feeding the end of a strip at an upward incline over the rear of the stack, whereby the next-following sheet stacked will engage the said end of the strip and lay it flat against the next-precedirw sheet, and means for severing the said en of the strip upon the addition of a predetermined number of sheets to the stack.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day of May, 1922.

CHARLES B. MAXSON.

recess, the pawl thereupon engaging the walls of the recess to rotate the shaft until the recess is again covered by the gate whereby the feed roll inserts the end of t e strip between adjacent sheets of the stack, the actuating means being adapted to return the gate to its normal position, thereby again uncovering the recess, and the pawl beingsheet, continuing to feed and stack the sheets, and severing the said end of the strip upon the addition of a predetermined number of sheets to the stack.

26. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for stacking sheet material, means for feeding the end of a strip at an upward incline over the rear of the stack, whereby the next-following sheet stacked will engage the said end of the strip and lay it flat against the next-preceding sheet, and means for severing the said end of the strip upon the addition of a predetermined number of sheets to the stack.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day of May, 1922.

CHARLES B. MAXSON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,611,476,

granted December 21, 1926.

to CHARLES B. MAXSON.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the requiring correction as follows: Page 5,

above mentioned patent lines 71 to.

74, strike out "It is therefore preferred to feed the strip as illustrated and described in a copending ap plication, Serial No. 664,

7'75, filed September 25,

1925. and insert the same to follow after the period and word numeral "disks" the "reams" line '79; "9a" read "10a" read "disk"; word "material" P P insert a comma;

same page line 115, for the line 56, for the word line 65, claim 20, after and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of February, A. D. 1927.

Seal.

M. J. Moore,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,611 ,476, granted December 21, 1926.

to CHARLES E. 'MAXSON.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above mentioned patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3, lines 71 to 74, strike out "It is therefore preferred to feed the strip as illustrated and described in a copending application, Serial No. 664/275, filed September 25, 1925. and insert the same to follow after the period and word "reams", line '79; same page line 115, for the numeral "9a" read "10a" page 6, line 56, for the word "disks" read "disk" page 9 line 65, claim 20, after the word "material" insert a comma; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of February, A. D. 1927.

M. J. Moore, Seal. Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

